Page 132 - DMGT404 RESEARCH_METHODOLOGY

Research Methodology

Notes 1. Internal secondary data
2. External secondary data

7.1.1 Internal Secondary Data

Internal secondary data is a part of the company's record, for which research is already conducted.
Internal data are those that are found within the organisation.

Example: Sales in units, credit outstanding, call reports of sales persons, daily production
report, monthly collection report, etc.

7.1.2 External Secondary Data

The data collected by the researcher from outside the company. This can be divided into four
parts:

1. Census data
2. Individual project report being published
3. Data collected for sale on a commercial basis called syndicated data

4. Miscellaneous data

Did u know? Census data is the most important data among the sources of data.

The following are some of the data that can obtained by census records:
 Census of the wholesale trade
 Census of the retail trade

 Population Census
 Census of manufacturing industries
 Individual project report being published
 Encyclopedia of business information sources

 Product finder
 Thomas registers etc.

7.1.3 Benefits and Limitations of Secondary Data

Benefits

It is far cheaper to collect secondary data than to obtain primary data. For the same level of
research budget a thorough examination of secondary sources can yield a great deal of information
than can be had through a primary data collection exercise.
The time involved in searching secondary sources is much less than that needed to complete
primary data collection.

Secondary sources of information can yield more accurate data than that obtained through
primary research. This is not always true but where a government or international agency has

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